Powerful anti-racism rally “FAIR PLAY FOR PALESTINE” at the Wales v Israeli game in Cardiff

On the 6th September almost 2,000 demonstrators marched from the centre of Cardiff to a major rally adjacent to the ground where the football match was to be played. Demonstrators arrived by bus and train from many parts of the UK and they were joined by several supporters from France. This was only the second time that the senior Israeli side had played in the UK.

The rally was lead by PSC honorary President Betty Hunter and was addressed by Palestinian ambassador Professor Manuel Hassassian, Plaid Cymru MP Gill Evans, Welsh Green Party leader Pippa Bartolotti, PSC Director Sarah Colbourne, and several other politicians, Union officials and footballers. Twenty eight leading human rights supporters, including William Dalrymple Jenny Tonge and Steven Rose, wrote to support the event:

The rally was reported in the Guardian and Walesonline. The Guardian quoted Adie Mordechai who had worked as a teacher in Gaza and had witnessed the suffering of the people there. He said “all aspects of life in Palestine, including sport, were affected by the illegal occupation”. It also quoted members of the Easton Cowgirls, a women’s football team from Bristol, also joined the demonstration. The squad travelled to the West Bank last autumn to play local teams and learn about the situation there. The team’s spokeswoman (and midfielder), Isabel O’Hagan, said: “What we saw really affected us, how they are restricted in their movements, the daily oppression they are subjected to. We promised when we came back we’d share their story. We’re here to represent the people we played with there and the people we met there.”

The Guardian also noted comments from a Zionist Federation supporter who wrongly painted anti-racism as anti-Israel and wrongly accused the speakers as liars – classical self delusion.